Popping About
by Kimmzie
Summary: Rose Tyler is testing the dimension cannon and ends up in Broadchurch. She helps a familiar face, but the man is so different. Who is Alec Hardy? Will she ever find the Doctor? Rose/Hardy Rose/Doctor


Popping about

Kimmzie

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Rose Tyler popped into the new world. Correction, Rose Tyler was propelled into the new world. She was hurtled across the damp pavement which she met with a fast sprint. The Torchwood agent tried to stop, but her toes were squished to the front of her shoes, and she waved her arms trying to find her balance alas her arse not so gracefully met the pavement. She rubbed her head and looked back. How had she not left a trail of fire in her wake? The R&D guys said, "That was improbable." She'd seen a lot of things with the Doctor and on these cannon field tests. Nothing could surprise her. Who said never say never?

Her jacket was warm around her, she touched the purple leather and she jerked her hand away, it was very hot to the touch. Her TARDIS key was glowing but remained cool. "Well, that's something new." She checked her locating device and shook her head. "Not the target yet." She took the key into her grasp.

As nonchalantly as possible, Rose stood up and wiped off her black trousers. She was currently standing in the middle of a main street, so she decided to move over to the side. It was night and the town seemed to be a ghost town. But best not press her luck. What little luck she had. She let down her hair and sighed, her muscles complained and her head was pounding and fuzzy.

This was worse than the time she tried to drink Jack under the table. They had made it to four and a half intergalactic gang busters… She remembered the Doctor smiling down at her with twinkling blue eyes. She did not miss the daggers he threw towards Jack. At that point she could only wobble and look up at him with a lopsided grin. The Doctor had grabbed both glasses from the pair's hands and had downed the last of both their drinks proclaiming a tie. She remembered the protective armor of his jacket covering her all the way back to the TARDIS. Jack had been exiled for a few days.

The cannon and gps device started to beep as it recalibrated. She was in Broadchurch, Scotland and couldn't leave until around noon the next day. It was pre-dawn local time. She didn't mind the salt air that was drifting in on the breeze. She decided to stretch her legs.

Rose turned her head as there was a groan and thud- A man in a dark coat was leaning against a hotel door.

"You alright mate? Have too much to drink?" That line came with way too much deja vous attached.

"Something like that. Can you help me with the door?" His Scottish burr was hard to understand because everything was uttered through clenched teeth.

The voice was familiar and made her legs uneasy. She tried to get a closer look at his face.

"Whatcha doin just standin' there? It's freezing out here," the man said with more urgency.

"Just a mo." She hurried over to him.

She didn't see his face due to the darkness and most of it was covered by a beard and floppy hair. She took on some of his weight with no protest and turned his key easily.

He coughed and started to drag his feet as they entered the hallway.

"Blimey mate, how much have you had?"

He pointed to a door down the hall and clung to her harder. Rose dragged him to the room. He then, collapsed onto the bed and grunted as soon as they entered. Her mouth turned into an O shape. Was he?

"Doctor?"

"No Doctors," he groaned.

He went limp and his eyes rolled back into his head. That face was so familiar down to the freckles.

Rose checked his breathing and moved him into a better position for his airway. His carotid pulse was not very strong. It was erratic and there was only one heartbeat. He was coming back into consciousness.

"Oi, do you have a heart condition? Any medicine?"

"Bathroom…" he lost consciousness again.

"Well, you can't take those now." She went to the side table looking for a phone. "Yes, please call an ambulance. My friend needs to go to hospital." The female voice at the other end seemed quite alarmed. Good. They'll get here faster.

She checked for his pulse again. Yup still there. But, very erratic. She fingered the syringe of adrenaline that lined the med kit in her jacket. She padded his pockets for his wallet and looked for his id and raided the bathroom for any medication. She frowned at the medication bottle. He had a serious heart problem.

"Not long now," she said quietly. As he made a guttural noise of pain, it made her insides clench sympathetically. "D.I Alec Hardy and definitely human." She felt guilty for the anger that rose in the stomach at the false hope at hearing that voice and seeing that face. It wasn't this Alec's fault. Another wheeze and groan as he tried to move. She tried to stroke back his hair and still him. "Woah, anytime now."

Right on time, the paramedics arrived with a stretcher and their bags. Rose gave her "credentials" and medical assessment and soon found herself riding in the back of an ambulance. The next few hours were a blur of sterile rooms, awkward medical questions, more awkward personal questions, and one trashy magazine.

Rose was pretending to be engrossed in her trashy magazine as the sun was peaking in through the window. She had perused it cover to cover about five and a half times. Her left hand had found its way into Alec Hardy's right hand during the night. She remembers him cutting the blood off to her arm before the sedation had kicked in. Now, it lay peacefully, even though it was numb.

She looked up as she suddenly felt pressure on her hand. Alec's eyes were fluttering open. She quickly jerked her hand away.

"Wha'"

"Easy now," Rose said calmly. "You had a bad attack, you had to go to the hospital."

"No, no. I said no Doctors…"

"Well, they saved your life. Can't take your medicine when you're out cold, mate." Rose fired back.

"You don't understand." He glared at her. "Who are you anyway?"

"The hospital and hotel thinks I'm your "friend." Make that as you will. I'm just passing through."

"That's not an answer."

Rose slumped her shoulders and then got out her id badge. "Rose Tyler of the Torchwood Institute, Research and Development." The badge was as generic as possible and had a little physic paper to help when she jumped. Alec raised an eyebrow.

"Never heard of it," he said.

"Hmm," Rose took back her badge and shrugged. "The doctors want to keep you for a while."

"Not possible," Alec interrupted and started to take the chords off his chest. When he went for the IV Rose grabbed his arms.

"Oi, do you want to go squirting everywhere? Fine, you want to leave. Which is mad. At least let me help. I don't know why I'm doing this." He quit fighting her and relaxed. She took the tubes out of his arms and silenced the alarms. "Here's your documents and scripts. Good Luck Mr. Hardy." Rose left the magazine that had Danny's face plastered on it.

"Thank you, Ms. Tyler."

"Rose, just Rose. Hurry up. I'll try and distract some of your doctors. Just be careful." She worried her lip and her hazel eyes looked as if they were going to say something else, but she was gone in a swirl of curtain.

Rose was very good at putting up a distraction when needed. There were tubes and gauze and other bits spread out like confetti. "Sorry, so sorry. The floor was just so slippery. You really should leave a sign or something. No let me help… No?" She backed away in surrender. She smiled when she saw a dark jacket make a swift exit.


End file.
